David Cook, winner of the seventh season of “American Idol” in 2008, is the first to admit times have changed since the heady days after his win, when he played international arenas on the “Idol” tour, then in front of more than 4,000 people at Bethlehem’s Musikfest on his first solo tour.

For one, he’s about to set out on a tour without a new album to support, playing venues with capacities in the hundreds, such as Musikfest Cafe, where he stops Oct. 24.

For another, when he calls for an interview to advance the show, it from a warehouse in Nashville, where he now lives, counting his own tour merchandise inventory.

That represents the changes Cook is undergoing after the initial wave of popularity from his “Idol” win transitions into working musician.

In the interview, Cook spoke about his upcoming new album, his life these days, and the effect of “Idol.” Here’s a transcript of the call:

LEHIGH VALLEY MUSIC: The shows you’re doing now – is it a formal tour?

DAVID COOK: “You know, this tour was just kind of … we wanted to get out kind of between record cycles. ‘Cause I know with the last record, it took us a good three years to get back out on the road, and I just didn’t want to wait that long again. You know, our fans have been really, really amazing, and they’ve kind of been extremely patient. So this is just kind of wanting to get out and play for them.

“And also, we are working on another record. And while we kind of talk to these labels and figure out who to go with to get this record out, we wanted to come out and test some of these new songs. So that’s just kind of what the plan is. We’re playing a pretty long show – and hour and a half, two hours. I’d day about four or five new songs. So it’s just a chance to get these sons out there and see what the fans thing, ‘cause they are a little different for us. You know, trying some new vibes, and I’m playing keyboard live for the first time in my life.”

Wow.

“This tour’s just kind of, like I said, in between records trying to get some of these songs out and trying to have fun in the process.”

Now tell me a little bit about the new album – how far into it are you? When you say it’s different – in what ways? Tell me what you can.

“Sure. Well, we’re almost done with the writing process. We’ve got, depending on which way the wind’s blowing and who you’re asking, we’ve got between six and nine new songs [laughs] that people seem to feel pretty strongly about.

“And then they’re really just different in how we attacked it – just how I really attacked the creative process. I think with the last two records, I really tried to put an identity down on CD or whatever the medium was, but I didn’t try to strike an identity with this new stuff. It was more about enjoying the creative process, going down whatever avenues became available – whether it was trying some more synth stuff or playing around with loopings and beats and stuff like that, and really changing how I write about things. And trying to tackle new subject matter in songs.

“I thing the end result is, these songs , there’s a cohesion in them given that they all inherently sound like me, but I also think that they’re all over the place as far as the vibes and what they’re talking about and stuff. So I think this next record should have something for everybody.”

Was there any disappointment in the performance of your last album? I mean, after your first album sells platinum, a million copies, second album doesn’t sell that, was there any disappointment or second-guessing or anything like that?

“Um, no, not really. I think the second record was one I needed to make, I think, for me. I’m a firm proponent of ‘If you’re not getting something out of the records you’re making, then you’re wasting everybody’s time. Yeah, that second RCA record was just one that I had something I needed to say and stuff I needed to work through, and I kind of did it in the studio.

“You can’t really get too tied up in numbers. I know this is a numbers game, and it is a business and all that, but I’m still really, really proud of that record.”

Tell me about your new single, “Laying Me Low.” Where did it come from, and why did you decide to put it out?

“Um, I won’t say it happened by accident, there was a concerted effort, I think, to write a song with a little bit more movement to it. You know, I come from a rock background and for me it’s the louder the guitar, the louder the drums, the better it all is. And with ‘Laying Me Low’ we really tried to lean back a little bit – let the piano kind of drive the song and I think the vibe of the lyrics is a little more syncopated, which, like I said, gives the song more movement. That was really what we were going for, musically.

“I think lyrically, you know, I’ve written many songs about toxic relationships and all that and I don’t think that song really deviated from that, but really it’s just more of a, maybe a more fun, less heavy kind of angle on it. And I think it kind of matches the vibe of the song.”

For the new album, have you done any co-writing? I know on the other album you wrote with other people, including Ryan Tedder. Are you having any co-writers this time?

“Yeah, I definitely did co-writes on this new stuff. But I’ve been pretty picky. I’ve written with Zac Maloy, who I worked with on the past two records. I’ve written a little bit with Kevin Griffith, who I’ve written with on the last two records. And then I’ve written a lot with my guitar player, Andy Skib. ‘Laying Me Low’ I actually wrote with a couple of guys: Andy Wolbeck and Crix Reardon. And then we have a song called ‘Carry You’ that I wrote with Blair Daly.

”A lot of the stuff I did with Andy Wolbeck and Andy Skib and Crix Reardon.”

What is life like for you nowadays? Is there an adjustment post-‘Idol’ that’s going on for you at all?

“Ahh, yeah. [Laughs] I think so. There’s definitely a learning curve to it. I think going from fighting bars to get your 30-percent cut of the door, nobody showed up, just trying to get gas money to get home, to playing arenas during the ‘Idol’ tour and traveling overseas and that stuff, there’s a learning curve to it. Um, I’d like to think I’ve gotten a little more comfortable in my own skin. I think moving here to Nashville in the last year has really helped. Not to knock on L.A. by any stretch, I just think Nashville’s a little more my speed. I love the creative community here. I have, of course, found my restaurants that I love and so I’m at home. I’m good here.”

OK. Have you watched ‘American Idol’ recently?

“Sparingly. I know that’s probably not the company line I’m supposed to tell, but, you know, I think a couple of the seasons I was out on the road and just couldn’t tune in regularly. And the last couple of seasons I feel like it is a bit of a different show, and I think as other shows have popped up, I’m sure the argument could be made that the format’s gotten a little diluted.

“But I hope ‘Idol’ figures it out. You know, obviously, I’m a little brand-loyal to it and it’s been an amazing platform to me, but hopefully they can get the judge’s panel sorted out and consistent and the show can make it about the contestants again. ‘Cause I think the seasons that the show has done well has been the seasons that they’ve really focused on the contestants and allowed the public to invest in them. You know, ‘cause those shows are going to stick around as long as people come off that show and find success. They become viable outlets, you know, for new artists.”

Yeah, I think you are spot on, as Simon would say, on all the points that you made. I agree with every one of those points.

“Yeah, well, I hope, you know. We’ll see. I’ve been wrong before.”

[Laughs]. Hey, I don’t know whether you remember this, but you played Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, once before. You played our Musikfest festival in 2009, and I was wondering …

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Any recollection of that at all?

“I have a vague recollection, yeah.”

Yeah, I imagine that during those times, things kind of blur together.

“It was a little hectic, but yeah.”

Yeah, you played the festival. It was an outdoor festival and it’s only, literally, two football fields away from the venue that you’re going to be playing on the 24th. So you’re back in the area.

“Oh, right on. Well, I’m excited to get back. I think this tour, we just want it to be fun, and I think people that come to the show will hopefully get into that vibe. There’s no script. The banter might be terrible, but it’ll be unique [Laughs].

“We’re really just, I think, as a band and certainly myself as an artist, I think we’ve just all gotten more comfortable in our own world. And I hope – I hope – that that shows in the live performances.”

Nice interview. David Cook puts on a great show definitlely worth seeing. Am happy to hear he's out touring and working on a new record can't wait for new music..

Posted By: Katie | Oct 19, 2013 12:02:23 PM

Thanks for a great interview I am a big fan. David Cook puts on a fantastic show with great music and banter. I will be at both of the shows.

Posted By: Frannie Wessel | Oct 19, 2013 12:37:08 PM

Terrific interview. I'm glad David is on the road again. I love his music, and glad he's proud of TLM because it's an amazing album, as is all of his music including his newest music.

Posted By: Karen | Oct 19, 2013 11:23:34 PM

He really come down a great deal since Idol. He sounds very unsure and defensive. He looks to have blown his shot at becoming a relevant rock pop artist, so it's back to whaere he came - playing dives and clubs and bars.

Posted By: Keeran | Oct 20, 2013 12:57:43 AM

David Cook is living the life of a successful singer-songwriter. The new music is great, the live concerts rock and no 2 shows are the same. Even better, he seems like a crazy-happy guy- haven't enjoyed a live concert so much in ages!

Posted By: Paul | Oct 22, 2013 10:15:44 PM

I saw him recently at the Dosey Doe in Houston. Fantastic show! His new stuff is SO good. I think better than anything he's done, including Analog Heart. To say he continues to grow as an artist doesn't even begin to address it. He's wonderful!

Posted By: Cathy | Oct 23, 2013 2:59:54 PM

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JOHN J. MOSER has been around long enough to have seen the original Ramones in a small club in New Jersey, U2 from the fourth row of a theater and Bob Dylan's born-again tours. But he also has the number for All-American Rejects' Nick Wheeler on his cell phone, wrote the first story ever done on Jack's Mannequin and hung out in Wiz Khalifa's hotel room.

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

JODI DUCKETT: As The Morning Call's assistant features editor responsible for entertainment, she spends a lot of time surveying the music landscape and sizing up the Valley's festivals and club scene. She's no expert, but enjoys it all — especially artists who resonated in her younger years, such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Tracy Chapman, Santana and Joni Mitchell.

KATHY LAUER-WILLIAMS enjoys all types of music, from roots rock and folk to classical and opera. Music has been a constant backdrop to her life since she first sat on the steps listening to her mother’s Broadway LPs when she was 2. Since becoming a mother herself, she has become well-versed on the growing genre of kindie rock and, with her son in tow, can boast she has seen a majority of the current kid’s performers from Dan Zanes to They Might Be Giants.

STEPHANIE SIGAFOOS: A Jersey native raised in Northeast PA, she was reared in a house littered with 8-tracks, 45s and cassette tapes of The Beatles, Elvis, Meatloaf and Billy Joel. She also grew up on the sounds of Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw and can be found traversing the countryside in search of the sounds of a steel guitar. A fan of today's 'new country,' she digs mainstream/country-pop crossovers like Lady Antebellum and Sugarland and other artists that illustrate the genre's diversity.